Which of the Following Factors Determines a Protein's Particular Conformation

Question

Which of the following factors determines a protein's particular conformation?
A)the overall 2-dimensional architecture of the protein
B)the breaking and reforming of covalent bonds
C)the rotations about every second bond along the peptide backbone
D)the amino acid side-chain interactions

Accepted Answer

The specific arrangement of amino acid side chains determines a protein's three-dimensional conformation. The other options are not significant factors in determining a protein's conformation. For example, while the overall architecture of the protein (A) is important, the specific arrangement of amino acid side chains determines this architecture. Breaking and reforming of covalent bonds (B) typically results in the denaturation of proteins, and rotations about every second bond along the peptide backbone (C) are limited in their impact on a protein's conformation.